From The Strong National Museum of Play: A Scholarly Journal

Playfulness Key To Happy, Lasting Relationships 
In The Latest Issue Of The American Journal Of Play
Now Accessible Free Online At www.journalofplay.org.

Authors Rene Proyer, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Lisa Wagner, a research and teaching assistant at the University of Zurich, argue that playfulness may serve an evolutionary role in mating preferences by making a person more attractive to potential mates according to research published in the most recent issue of The Strong's American Journal of Play. The authors conducted their research by replicating an earlier study on mating preferences led by Garry Chick, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Pennsylvania State University (published in the American Journal of Play in 2012). 

Also in this issue of the Journal:

“Parent-Child Play across Cultures: Advancing Play Research” by Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, professor of child and family studies at Syracuse University, and Kimberly L. Davidson, a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University.

“Competitive Speech and Debate: How Play Influenced American Educational Practice,” by Michael D. Bartanen, professor of communications and theater at Pacifica Lutheran University, and Robert S. Littlefield, professor of communications at North Dakota State University.

“Gender Neutrality in Play of Young Migrant Children: An Emerging Trend or an Outlier” by Smita Mathur, associate professor at James Madison University, and Gowri Parameswaran, professor of education at the State University of New York at New Paltz. 

For information about print subscriptions, visit www.journalofplay.org/subscribe.

The American Journal of Play, an interdisciplinary scholarly journal devoted solely to the study of play, is published by The Strong in Rochester, New York. The Journal is available free online at www.journalofplay.org.